Category Archives: Stories of a small creative business

Today I rushed from work to join some very creative fellow Etsy sellers for craft and chat. The lovely organiers had set out five different tables with activities to have a go at. Arriving late I only managed two and a half makes but had a wonderful time.

Going to fill out a name badge I found myself at a table with three ladies I’d already met before through an Etsy meet a creative venture and being stallholders at the same event. I love the way crafters are so friendly even if you’ve only smiled and waved over a table you feel welcome and part of a group immediately. First up Emma Blue (www.emmablue.co.uk) was giving tuition on paper folding to create a little box. The idea was to put photos inside on a fold out but after needing three goes to make the box lid big enough to fit (two abandoned green lids are no doubt on the way to the recycle bin as I type) I thought I’d leave further box work for later.

Next Rhea Clements (www.rheaclements.co.uk) was demonstrating how to make a clutch bag from a magazine. I love the way all these different creative projects for using photos had been devised. Miraculously the sticky back plastic didn’t wrinkle and I was especially pleased I learned to create a cord using a latchook. I found that so theraputic I think I may have to dig in the family sewing box for tools so I could make cord to relax.

Just before the venue needed to reclaim the space I moved to a table full of pretty coloured threads to have a go at embroidering one of the old photos I’d brought along but only had time for a few roughly attempted plant stalks ad one very basic flower. It’s been something I’ve thought about doing for a long while so I am at least inspired enough to make a plan to learn embroidery stitches and try this in depth (as soon as I get a little time that is).

There was even a raffle with some lovely prizes and I was lucky to win a selection of cards by Debbie Greenaway (www.debbiegrenaway.com) and an Etsy t-shirt.

Lovely afternoon. Thank you to all the organisers and I’m sorry I didn’t get time to chat to more people.

The blog may have been untouched for 6 months (oops) but The Forgotten Library has been busy with December seeing every weekend on the top floor of Waterstones as part of the Craft in the City event. This was my stall and welcome refuge on a Saturday from my retail sun-fri day job.

During December I reached one of those big birthday milestones and a very dear friend sent me this gorgeous painting by Ritchie Collins.

I can’t do it justice in a photo, the detail is so incredible. There is something so magical about the night time cityscape that my imagination has been filled with what The Forgotten Library at this building might be like inside.

Whilst I fall over the crates of stock on the landing and try to rearrange my work bench to create amongst all the tools and materials piled there I dream of a studio with plenty of space in this amazing building full of historical character and dreams.

I’m having one of those frustrated moments when you have spent every spare scrap of time you can working on one thing or another but the visible output isn’t as much as you need it to be. In a few days I have a stall at the lovely Pretty Dandy Flea https://www.facebook.com/events/404978856254535/ and I was supposed to gather stock and plan my layout this past weekend but it wasn’t to be. Whilst fighting a cold/throat infection I was not at my most productive (still not) and if anything could go a bit awry it did. Even getting new instruction inserts for the clocks printed turned into a 90 minute fiasco in Staples (long story) in which I had to stop my fevered self buying stationery I didn’t need – difficult at the best of times. Fortunately the sale corner had a coin counting tray reduced to £2 so I was able to buy myself a toy to cheer up.

I’ve been working on some new memento keepers too and as soon as I fix one problem there is a new challenge to overcome. Tonight I have decided I need a press to get it all right but searching for the right equipment is not going well and drooling over expensive book presses I can’t afford is not helping. These are images of the prototypes so far…

So on the positive side two clocks have been hand cut and are clamped for the glue to set. I made ten hairgrips and only superglued one finger. At least something saleable has been made amongst all the hours of trialling things. Distracting myself with new ideas means I seem to have lots of unfinished odds and ends all over the desk.

Since I have no Forgotten Library time again until late Thursday afternoon I am hoping the idea that it will all come together in the end proves correct!

Goodness where does the time go! I can’t believe it’s 2013 already. Thank you to everyone who has supported The Forgotten Library in 2012. I really do hope to be updating this blog regularly this year. I have some wonderful treasures I have yet to unpack and document, I think it’s almost a year since I was lucky to be sold some original patterns, sketches and documents from a lace firm. Having been tied in rolls for decades and covered in roof dust they need careful unrolling and flattening so I was always too busy to get to them. They really are top of my list once I’ve made some space round here. Last minute making for fairs over the Christmas period inbetween a busy day job means it looks like someone shook all the books off the library shelves and sprinkled them with clock movements, findings, paper tags and binding wires. I can’t even see some of the equipment like the laminator and the drill any longer!

Here are some photos of a few of the craft fairs and markets I enjoyed standing a stall at this past Christmas period.

Craft In The City, St Peters Church, Nottingham

Newark Vintage Fair, St Marks Gallery

The Pretty Dandy Flea, November 2012

Stall shared with gorgeous Elves courtesy of Rachel Gallagher.

Huge space, only managed to fill it thanks to the help of Rachel Gallagher and her fab fae folk.

Blogging has been rather scarce due to day job commitments and being busy out at craft fairs and making items on any spare days. This morning I was happy to get down to the local car boot sale to try and find some penguin books having sold my remaining stall stock of keyrings and magnets.

So many fabulous books. I know my own shelves will be groaning as I found so many volumes to treasure myself alongside those I will use to make items for The Forgotten Library. Here are a few snapshots of some of the wonderful editions I came home with.

These are bound for my own book shelves. So happy to find another Bronte novel in this series (so far I only had Wuthering Heights in this edition) and the Classic Myth and Legend book to go with the Celtic volume I bought in a book shop on holiday in September. As an Arthurian legend lover that Tennyson book has been a joy to read this afternoon.

Lots of beautifully designed book covers marking these volumes ready to become book clocks.

I love looking at peoples collections of cuttings to see what they chose to keep and what was important to them. I haven’t had time to look through all of these yet but an article from Kelmscott, somewhere I was lucky to visit this year, caught my eye and I love the fashion styles which look to be around the 40s.

Fabulous Frank Lloyd Wright book and a 1930s book on design. More fantastic finds I shall be adding to my own book shelves to enjoy on one of those dreamed of days off.

After finding some calligraphy pens in the summer I was overjoyed to find all these books and can’t wait to find some time in the new year to have a go at the art of penmanship.

Many books often have a bookmark or marker as a sign of where the reader left them. I know my own shelves have many unfinished volumes.

This may look very weary and the cover is coming loose but I was so excited to find this 1860 edition.

I love the way the bookseller labels are inside these Victorian volumes and the owners always wrote their names inside in such beautiful script.

My first giveaway is now up and running on Facebook. Why not enter to win this cute cloth bound edition of The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes by Beatrix Potter as a book clock. Simply like the page at www.facebook.com/theforgottenlibrary and share the giveaway post to your timeline. Please share the post directly from The Forgotten Library rather than someone elses timeline so that your entry can be tracked and placed into the draw. A winner will be drawn at random on October 24th 2012 and will be contacted through Facebook to arrange delivery of the prize.

Popped into my little spot in the Hopkinson Vintage, Antique & Arts centre today to leave a supply of childrens book clocks. I rather overloaded the shelving with them but I know I can’t get in to restock for a little while so it now looks rather crammed full like this…

I’ve also done a little shopping towards converting a storage room into a workshop. Most sensible folk would head to ikea for cupboards for storage. Me I spotted a 1930s bedroom set of 2 wardrobes and a dressing table in the local charity shop and decided that was for me. Can’t wait to get set up in there.

Sorry for the long delay in posts. I am finding that a small business running alongside a regular day job leaves very little time. Making the stock and taking it out to venues has taken all those extra hours of late. I had hoped to share more of the vintage diaries and papers here but my bright idea to store them away safely and a lack of time to get them out and photograph things means that’s a coming soon style project right now.

There has been much clock and card making of late. Sometimes I read the books before converting them. Children’s books aren’t always a happy tale…….

….after all the animals buy on credit but never pay their bills Ginger & Pickles can’t keep the shop open and go out of business. I hope my next choice for clock conversion is more uplifting.

Today I’ve been converting broken down paperback Penguin (and Pelican) books into new things. I love the way the font styles, colours and even the little penguins themselves change depending on the era and genre of book. I rather like the penguin who looks like he’s dancing 🙂

The Library has been gathering dust for a few weeks due to demands on my time but I hope to be able to update more regularly again. I finally have some ‘holiday’ time so I can get busy crafting. The rain is beating on my window so it’s not as if I can be tempted outside to enjoy any summer sun even if it is August 2nd.

After making 80 cards this morning I’ve been removing the covers from a large number of Penguin paperbacks gathered at the carboot over the last few weeks. These will become magnets, keyrings and hair adornments.

Quite a few of the books had notes on the inside covers and I’ve been imagining who owned these and what exams they might have been studying for. Here is one example.

Also amongst these volumes were paperbacks with newspaper cuttings inside. About the authors and the subject matter of the books these dated from the 1970s-1980s. I found it hard to part these books and put the unused articles and pages into the recycling. I’m such a natural hoarder I’m sure I’d have warehouses keeping these collections of books together if I were a millionaire. My practical head has to tell me these were bound for landfill if I didn’t repurpose them and this way someone will hopefully wear the little penguin logo in their hair, look at an image on their fridge or brighten up their keys.

I did stop to read a few of the articles and this made me want to learn more about the treasure discovered here.